


Open Course

by Switch842



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 03:44:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15452622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Switch842/pseuds/Switch842
Summary: Daniel hopes a day out on the water with Johnny can help them put the past behind them. They get more than they bargained for when the day unexpectedly turns physical.





	Open Course

“This is great, LaRusso, thanks,” Johnny said, the wind whipping through his hair. He settled back against the cushions as Daniel maneuvered them out of the harbor and onto the open water. It had been a long time since he had last been on a boat, but the feeling came back easily as they sliced through the waves. He took a deep breath, letting the smell of saltwater and fresh air fill his lungs, and relaxed for the first time in months.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Daniel said. “It’s great to be able to leave everything behind and just relax for a bit.”

Things hadn’t ended well after the tournament. Robby had been hurt, badly, by Miguel, and Daniel had blamed Johnny for that. When he looked back on it, he could see Johnny had been trying to reach out after it was over, but he hadn’t been ready to hear it. Daniel was still hurt, still angry, even thirty years later. The legacy of Cobra Kai was not something he could easily forget, but he knew he had to get past whatever bad blood was still between them if he wanted to move forward. 

He hoped a day out on the boat could be a continuation of what had started in that bar a few weeks ago. He’d been surprised when Johnny had accepted his invitation, but glad. Sometimes, the first step in putting the past behind was walking away for a while.

They cruised along, not speaking, bouncing over the waves. Johnny pulled a beer from his cooler and stood to join Daniel at the helm. He squinted against the bright light even through his sunglasses. The wind was flapping at his shirt, slapping it against his arms and threatening to blow it off completely. He quickly pulled it off and stowed it under one of the seats. He saw Daniel shake his head and laugh to himself. That was an interesting reaction Johnny would have to ask about later.

Daniel finally slowed their speed. They were well out of the path of passing boats and out of reach of any breaking waves.

“This good?” he asked, looking at Johnny.

Johnny just shrugged in response. “Good as any spot. You would know better than me.”

Daniel pulled the boat to a stop and cut the engine. He let it drift for a bit before finally dropping the anchor. They stood there in awkward silence for a minute before Daniel finally spoke up.

“You should put some sunscreen on,” he said.

“Really?” Johnny said, taking a swig of his beer.

“Skin cancer is a real thing.”

Johnny looked up at the sky. Not a cloud could be seen and, if he was honest, he could already feel his shoulders getting hot.

“Fine,” he said holding his hand out for the lotion.

Daniel dug through the bag he’d packed and pulled out two bottles of lotion to get himself covered, too. He handed one to Johnny and pulled off his own shirt, berating himself for his initial feeling of anxiousness at comparing himself to Johnny. He’d gotten a little soft in recent years, but Johnny was still as muscular and toned as he had been when they were teenagers.

He finished what he could reach and turned back to Johnny. He saw the other man awkwardly slapping at his upper back and shoulders. He sighed. He knew what he should do, but didn’t know how Johnny would react.

“Here. Let me help,” he said crossing to where Johnny stood.

Johnny just stared at him like he had suddenly grown a third eye.

“Come on,” Daniel implored. “I’ll do you. You do me.” As soon as those words left his mouth, he regretted it. Johnny only quirked an eyebrow in response and smirked at Daniel’s turn of phrase. “Oh, you know what I mean. And put that thing away,” he said, vaguely waving at Johnny’s face.

“Put what away?” Johnny asked as he turned his back to Daniel.

“That smirk,” Daniel said. “You have a dangerous smile, Johnny.” He started rubbing the lotion onto Johnny’s shoulders. If his hands lingered longer and pressed a little deeper than was strictly necessary, well, who had to know?

_‘Huh’, Johnny thought. ‘That was interesting.’_

“Really?” he asked.

“Come on,” Daniel said. “You know you do.”

“Well, sure. Just never thought you’d think so.” He couldn’t help but flash that smile as he turned around to return the favor to Daniel. Their hands lingered as Daniel passed the bottle of sunscreen to Johnny. He couldn’t be sure with the sun, but Johnny would swear Daniel blushed a little at the touch.

He took his time, massaging the lotion onto Daniel’s back and shoulders. He was trying to figure out what was going on, and he wasn’t entirely sure of his own feelings on the matter. There were a lot of ways the day could go, and a few could end badly if Johnny wasn’t careful. He was suddenly reminded of dark clubs and smoky whiskey. He’d had some encounters in the past when liquor loosened his inhibitions. Olive skin with dark hair and eyes. Hard muscles, and a smart mouth sucking marks into his skin. He cleared his throat and finished up the task at hand before stepping away.

Once they were protected from the sun, they stood there in silence, unsure of how to continue.

“So,” Johnny said. “Nice boat.”

“Uh, yeah,” Daniel agreed. “Amanda’s father helped when we decided we wanted to invest.”

“Didn’t grow up around boats, then?

“Me? Hell, no,” Daniel said. He laughed to himself as a memory came upon him. “My first time on a boat was this rickety old rowboat Mr. Miyagi had. He made me row out to the middle of this lake up north and stand on the prow practicing the few blocks he’d taught me by that time. It was a way to practice balance and focus. I just remember getting wet.”

“That sounds like a wonderful way to learn,” Johnny snarked, taking a swig of his beer.

“I know you’re being sarcastic, but you’re not wrong,” Daniel said with a smile. “Karate means empty fist, you know? It’s about what’s in your head and in your heart, not the color of your belt or how hard you can hit someone. It’s why breathing and the basics of the kata is so important.”

“Important? Kata’s not good for anything.” Johnny finished off his beer and turned to grab a fresh one from his cooler.

“What? How can you say that?” Daniel exclaimed. “Kata’s the basis for everything. Did you never learn?”

“No,” Johnny scoffed. “We never learned that pansy ass bullshit. We were taught the Way of the Fist.”

“That explains so much,” Daniel said under his breath. “Okay. We’re fixing this right now. Come with me.”

He led Johnny to the bow of the ship where they would have more room to move. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, going back to when he was younger and the ways Mr. Miyagi taught him. He set his feet, pressed his palms together in front of his chest and said, “Breathe with me.”

He didn’t look to see if Johnny was following along. He breathed out and pushed his hands up. Breathing in, they lowered back to his chest. Out again and pressing forward. In and out. Slow and even. He saw Johnny begin to follow along out of the corner of his eye and smiled to himself.

After a time, he slowly moved into a basic kata, keeping his moves sharp and crisp so Johnny could follow along. He had to modify some of the steps to make sure they didn’t fall off the boat or run into each other, but it worked well enough. Daniel reached out to Johnny every now and then to adjust a hand or his shoulder. Or move his hips to get his stance just so. As they moved through the various forms, Daniel noticed Johnny visibly relaxing. His shoulders dropped and his motions smoothed out. He had surprising grace under all that power and muscle. He was reminded of that day in the dojo when all the training finally clicked for Robby, and he could see where his student had inherited his natural affinity for the art.

Thinking about Robby reminded Daniel of his other purpose for inviting Johnny out. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong in becoming Robby’s teacher, but it still felt like a betrayal he needed to address. Some of that was on Robby for not being entirely truthful about who he was. Daniel had realized pretty quickly after the confrontation in his dojo that Robby had known exactly what he was doing in getting a job at LaRusso Auto. He was a good kid, though, underneath all that bravado. He hoped he might be able to bring Johnny and Robby back together. He just needed to understand what had gone wrong first.

They continued in silence, and Daniel watched the change that came over Johnny. As they worked, his whole demeanor relaxed. He was anchored to the boat, to himself. His eyes almost lost focus as he breathed in and out. Daniel stepped out of the way to just watch for a moment. It was… beautiful. Johnny’s arms flowed from one movement to the next. His legs kicked and stepped from position to position. A sheen of sweat covered his body as the hot sun beat down on them. This was who Johnny could be. Should be.

Eventually, Johnny’s movements slowed. He stood motionless, looking out to the sea and once more becoming aware of his surroundings.

“Huh,” he said out loud. “That was not what I was expecting.”

“How do you feel?” Daniel asked softly.

“Good,” Johnny replied after a pause. “More… something. But it’s a good something.”

“Good,” Daniel said. “That’s good. You should keep it up. It, uh, it’s a good look on you.”

They stared at each other, a sudden tension hanging between them that neither knew how to break.

“So, Johnny,” Daniel began. He started walking back to the helm, needing a drink to get through this. “I should apologize for Robby. If I had known that –“

“Hey, no,” Johnny interrupted. “You have nothing to apologize for. What you did for Robby was great, really. Teaching him the right way, and being a good example. It was more than I ever did.”

Johnny grabbed his unfinished beer from earlier and drank the rest of it without stopping. Everything was such a mess.

“Can I ask?” Daniel began.

Johnny motioned for him to continue. He’d known Daniel would bring it up eventually. Especially after that night in LaRusso’s dojo where his two worlds collided in spectacular fashion.

“Why weren’t you there for Robby?”

“Just go straight to the main event, huh?” Johnny wiped his brow; his fingers itched to grab another beer and just avoid the whole thing. “I never really wanted to be a father,” he began. “I didn’t have very good role models for that sort of thing. After high school, I drifted around, picking up odd jobs here and there. Eventually, I found my way back here and became a bartender. That’s where I met Shannon. We were together for a while, but it was never anything serious. More convenient than anything else. And, uh, then she told me she was pregnant. I tried to stick around, but… I just couldn’t do it. Shannon tried her best. Sent me pictures, called. Eventually, that stopped, too. Because I just fuck everything up.”

_‘Well, shit,’ Daniel thought._

“I’m…sorry,” Daniel said.

“Not your fault,” Johnny said. “That’s just life.”

“If it helps, he seems open to maybe getting to know you. You might not be able to make up for lost time, but this could be the start of something new.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Johnny shrugged, picking at the label on his empty beer. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, knowing it could all go ass-up at any time. He grabbed another beer and chugged most of it in one go. He was going to need a lot more beer to get through the afternoon, that much he was sure of. He stared at Daniel as he pulled a bottle of wine and actual glasses from an honest-to-God picnic basket.

“No,” Johnny said, pulling the bottle from Daniel before he could open it. “Nope. That’s not happening. Jesus Christ, LaRusso. What happened to you?”

“What?” Daniel replied. “Just because I grew up and developed some taste something is wrong with me?”

“Here and now?” Johnny said. “Yes. Absolutely. For Christ’s sake, have a fucking beer.”

Daniel stared at Johnny and the Coor’s Banquet he was holding in his outstretched hand. He rolled his eyes, mostly at himself, and took the fucking beer.

“Fine,” Daniel said, taking a swig. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Johnny teased with a smile.

Daniel quirked his head and took another swig of his beer. That fucking smile. It had haunted his dreams, both good and bad, since that first day he had set foot in the Cobra Kai dojo thirty-odd years ago. He was suddenly hyperaware of his lack of clothing as Johnny stared at him. He really hoped the sun was hiding the heat he could feel rising on his face.

They shot the shit for a while, slowly working their way through the cooler of beer. As unenthusiastic as he was about Daniel’s wine, Johnny had no objections to the food Daniel brought out. Sandwiches, fresh fruit and vegetables, chips and cookies. It was some of the best food Johnny had eaten in months.

And Daniel was getting less sober at the seemingly endless supply of beer that continued to appear in his hand as soon as one was empty. He was laughing at something, who knew what by that point, when Johnny stood up and pulled Daniel with him.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing Daniel’s wrist and dragging him back to the front of the boat. “We did your thing, I’m gonna show you my thing.”

“You wanna spar? Now? On my boat?” Daniel asked as he stumbled along after Johnny.

“I’m gonna show you the Way of the Fist.”

“You realize this is insane, right?”

“Live a little!” Johnny exclaimed.

“Fine! You win! What is the Way of the Fist?”

“Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy,” Johnny said.

“That’s it?” Daniel asked. “That’s the great Cobra Kai way? I already know that. I thought you were gonna teach me something!”

“What more do you need?”

With that, Johnny assumed his stance and motioned for Daniel to do the same. When he did, Johnny just shook his head and moved to Daniel’s side.

“No. Stronger,” he said. He reached out to bend Daniel’s knees more and get his hips into place. “Feel the boat beneath your feet.” He moved Daniel’s arms and shoulders, squeezing his biceps to get Daniel to flex his muscles. “There. Now you’re ready.”

He moved back into his place and motioned for Daniel to attack first.

Daniel gritted his teeth and lunged half-heartedly at Johnny. Johnny easily blocked the punch and pushed Daniel past him.

“Come on, Danielle!” he taunted. “Is that the best you got?”

Daniel put a little more effort into his next attack and managed to land a few light hits. He didn’t want to actually hurt Johnny, but, damn, it felt good to spar like this. His breathing became heavy and his heart pounded in his chest. The world narrowed until it was just the two of them on the boat, the sun playing witness to their battle. Daniel couldn’t help but smile. This was _fun _.__

__Johnny returned Daniel’s smile, glad to see him finally letting loose. He struck first this time. Daniel easily knocked his arm aside and landed a shot to his ribs. Johnny swung around, landing a quick kick to Daniel’s shoulder._ _

__“I was just going easy on you,” Daniel replied. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t overexert yourself. You’re not as young as you used to be.”_ _

__“Neither are you,” Johnny said. “Come on, LaRusso. I can take it.”_ _

__Daniel didn’t even wait until Johnny was finished to charge. Johnny grabbed his arm in a lock and pulled Daniel close. He wrapped his leg around the back of Daniel’s but stopped before actually dropping him to the hard wood deck. He smirked, his nose inches from Daniel’s, their chests pressed together, and could hear the sharp intake of breath in response._ _

__“Point Lawrence,” Johnny said._ _

__Daniel pushed Johnny back, keeping his hand on his arm. He reached out to grab Johnny’s other wrist as it came up and twisted them up over his head as he turned. He bent over at the waist, and effortlessly lifted Johnny off his feet. With the sweat and sunscreen greasing their bodies, Johnny easily slid to the side and shoved Daniel away._ _

__Daniel immediately spun and snapped out a kick that Johnny caught against his chest. He gently pushed it away and lunged in with his own attack. Unfortunately, he misjudged where Daniel would be after his foot landed and hit him hard, square on the jaw._ _

__Daniel’s head snapped back with the force of the blow. His teeth clacked together and the edges of his vision blurred. Suddenly, it was 34 years ago, a dark and foggy night as he was attacked by a group of skeletons bent on making his life a living hell._ _

__Johnny relaxed his stance, expecting Daniel to drop his hands and start yelling at him for actually punching him. Instead, his eyes hardened and he attacked with a renewed strength and force that Johnny had never seen before._ _

__Daniel exploded forward, striking hard and fast. Johnny was good, though, and he easily blocked whatever Daniel threw at him._ _

__Johnny ducked and blocked while trying to figure out how to get Daniel to calm down. Maybe strike first, strike hard wasn’t the life-affirming motto he had always believed it to be. All the beer probably wasn’t helping things, either._ _

__He managed to get hold of one of Daniel’s wrists and twisted him around, reaching around him to grab his other wrist and holding him tight in his grip. Daniel wasn’t going down easy, though. He elbowed Johnny in the ribs, and Johnny had to let him go before Daniel managed to pitch them both overboard. Daniel charged again, but Johnny was ready. He trapped Daniel against his chest and rolled Daniel over his hip, landing him hard on the deck of the boat. He sat on him, trapping Daniel’s hips between his knees and pinning his wrists down by his head._ _

__“LaRusso!” he shouted. “Daniel! Enough! You win, okay? I get it.”_ _

__Daniel thrashed and tried to shove Johnny off him. He grunted and yelled, but Johnny had a distinct height and weight advantage, and he easily held Daniel at bay. Daniel tried to roll him off, but Johnny just pressed harder. One or both of them were sure to be bruised by the time this was over._ _

__Johnny finally saw Daniel relax and the anger leave his face. Johnny dropped his head, exhaling hard as he sat back on his heels, Daniel’s wrists still held in his grasp and that was…. not something Johnny expected to feel pressing against his thigh. He snapped his gaze back to Daniel’s and saw a flush rising from his chest. Daniel pulled against Johnny’s hold, no longer trying to escape, but just to test it. Johnny leaned forward, dragging his nose along Daniel’s cheek._ _

__“Have you thought about this? Thought about me?” he whispered in Daniel’s ear. All those nights in seedy L.A. clubs and bars came rushing back as he rolled his hips against Daniel’s. He felt himself harden against Daniel, the heat of the sun and their bodies stimulating his senses almost more than he could bear._ _

__Daniel’s bitten off moan was all the answer Johnny needed._ _

__“How long? Since high school?” he asked, pulling back so he could see Daniel’s face. His pupils were blown wide, even in the bright sun. Sweat rolled down his neck, begging Johnny to lick it up._ _

__“Yes,” Daniel answered. “Since that day I walked into Cobra Kai and you aimed that dangerous smile at me.” He pushed back against Johnny needing more friction than he was getting. “Come on, Johnny.”_ _

__They stared at each other, the air growing hot around them with heat and anticipation. Their chests heaved with exertion and want. Johnny leaned down and…_ _

__THE END_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. That is the end of the fic. Nothing got truncated or left out. I'm just that evil. :-)


End file.
